October 23, 2006 (Reuters Health)—Findings from a small study suggest that the fusion
inhibitor enfuvirtide (formerly T-20) is a useful therapeutic option
for multi-class experienced HIV-infected patients. While the results support a role for enfuvirtide as rescue therapy,
the authors caution that "mutations conferring resistance to
enfuvirtide develop rapidly in the absence of viral control confirming
that enfuvirtide should be prescribed in association with an active
background regimen."
As reported in the Journal of Medical Virology for October, Dr.
Odile Launay, from Hopital Cochin in Paris, and colleagues assessed the
virologic and immunologic outcomes of 18 HIV-infected patients who were
treated with an enfuvirtide-containing regimen for at least 3 months.
At 3 months, 11 of the patients had HIV RNA levels below 400 copies/mL, including 8 with levels below 50 copies/mL.
Ten patients were treated with enfuvirtide for longer than 12
months. Six of the patients continued to have HIV RNA levels below 50
copies/mL. The median increase in CD4+ cell count was 159
cells/microliter.
Enfuvirtide was generally well tolerated and no patients
discontinued the drug due to adverse effects. However, five patients
did discontinue use due to virologic failure.
Mutations conferring enfuvirtide resistance were seen in all seven
patients with ongoing viral replication, the authors note. In addition,
one patient had a new mutation, denoted A50V, that appeared to confer
resistance.
J Med Virol 2006;78:1312-1317.
Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or
redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar
means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of
Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the
content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the
Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the
Reuters group of companies around the world.
